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Friday, March 5, 2010

This Saturday, March 6th, join *annemarie* and dozens of other Austin Artists as we celebrate all that Cafe Mundi has given us in the past several years! From 11am to 5pm you can shop local artisans, jam out to some awesome music, and help raise $$$ for Cafe Mundi to continue its legacy by moving into a new location!

Monday, March 1, 2010

CurlyQ Cuties is a custom, design your own plush website based in Cedar Park, Texas. I got a chance to meet the creator of CurlyQ Cuties - Stephanie Estrin, at a Babes in Biz meeting a few years ago. She has a vibrant personality, and was excited about her freshly launched line of plush dolls available for sale on Etsy.

Fast forward two years - and CurlyQ Cuties is taking the web by storm! So what is this website all about? When Stephanie first started, she was out to "create high quality imaginative toys", and kept getting requests for customized variations of her ready-made Monsters. Enter the Custom Design CurlyQ Cuties website!

The desire for handmade, one-of-a-kind items continues to grow, as does the public's interest in small business success stories. Companies like 1154lill pioneered the online custom order process, and have been followed by major corporations and small companies alike. We are no longer satisfied with walking into a big box, and purchasing 1 of a million items that anyone else can have.

Did you know that CNN has been in Austin this past week filming a series on major US cities that have weathered the recession better than most? Central Texas is a hub of entreprenuerial spirit - and CurlyQ Cuties is a great example of the fusion between the high tech and handmade communities Austin is known for. They were recently featured on the MSNBC TODAY Show, and have attracted over 15,000 followers to their Twitter account!

Yours truly, Anne Marie Beard, teaches sewing classes here under the guidance of superstar Leslie Bonnell. You may remember we had a kick-butt Dueling Glamazons event back in September at Parts & Labour...

Leslie's motto is "Sewing is power, independence and creative freedom!" As someone who has been crafting her entire life - I can tell ya that is 'sew' true! Come out, meet some amazing artists, get inspired - and OH - all of the beautiful fabrics at the Stitch Lab are 20% off!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

*annemarie* is thrilled to return to Cherrywood Art Fair again! This community fundraiser supports CHULA and the Art Program at Maplewood Elementary. This is a Haute event in Austin this weekend, and there will be plenty of pictures to post later!

Anne Marie has partnered with a "Little Artist" this year to create a piece of art for her to keep, and one to auction off. She was interviewed by KUT's Julie Moody along with a few other artists, you can listen to the interview here!

This is the purse that my Little Artist made, and it's for sale in the Silent Auction - please come out and support this amazing event!

The best Holiday Arts Show - HANDS DOWN! Featuring 80 of Austin's most creative artists.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Wow... the Holidays are on us - all of the sudden it's time to get out and about and get your shop on! December is full of fun events for you and your family, and I hope if you're looking for nice handmade gifts tomorrow, that you'll come out and visit me!

South Austin:Sweettooth Bags & *annemarie* will be sharing a booth on South Congress for the famous First Thursday Event. Amy will actually be there for me *I love her*, and be set up from 5 to 9 or so at Jo's Coffee.

You can see how cool our stuff looks when we do SXSW together at Jo's!

North Austin:
A few lovely ladies have decided to open their home for a Holiday Sip n' See in Northwest Austin. The girls are the founders of Fit Bands, and other vendors include my friend Tisa's Creations - who always has adorable and affordable holiday gifts. Click for a Map to the Party!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

It was another successful trip to Texas' best flea market/ antiques fair... and I wish I was still there...

Just an hour away from Austin, TX lie the treasure trove towns of Round Top and Warrenton, Texas. Each year miles and miles of country fields are turned into a shopping experience unlike anything else.

From fine antiques at Coles and Marburger Farms, to thrifty deals at Northgate Field and Zapp Hall, there is something for everyone. But only the hard core shoppers need go... I for one, can only handle 4 hours at a time- by then I am hungry, tired, and ready for a shower. My girlfriends' are HARD CORE SHOPPERS and they will spend 3 or 4 days in a row out there from 8am to 6pm!

This time I spent almost two days making jewelry from past Round Top purchases. I love to make jewelry - I have been making it since I was about 6, and am considering selling some of my latest creations.

Trends I noticed this year: Black and Yellow:

Detail of a Chartreuse/Yellow Lead Lamp Shade. Not a Tiffany, for sure - but still very striking in a Art Nouveau Design.

A Reverse Painted Glass Picture of a Lady - my mom has several of these... this one wasn't in the best condition, but I love the design.

Is that Yarn? Wow - the ugliest lamp I've ever seen! But cool!

A gorgeous Vintage Compact. Oh I wanted this one! But it was out of my price range.. would have made a KILLER necklace, too!

Sassy Ladies:

African American Head Vase. Head Vases are really popular these days - but the most common ones look like the original Barbie - with chunky eyelashes and pearl earrings. I loved this one because she was unusual and very pretty.

Raggedy Ann. Awwww, I used to love Raggedy Ann! Mom dressed us up as her for Halloween! I love her WILD RED HAIR!

Skinny B*tch Longing for Food. I couldn't help but snicker at the irony here. The world's flattest, almost 2-D Mannequin, posed next to a sign for FINE FOOD. Poor baby...

Spanish Beauty! Wow, check out her BRIGHT green dress! I love figurines that have a good expression of movement.. and her colors are just wild. I could see a bunch of these as awesome table centerpieces...

Robin's Egg Blue (Or Turquoise, or whatever you call it):My favorite color every year! My apartment is bursting at the seams with tchotchkes this color!

Genie in a Teapot. Rad! I don't even like hot tea - but I would make Hot Cocoa with this sexy teapot!

The Most BEAUTIFUL LOVE SEAT. Ever. Ok, not the exact shade of blue, but this love seat was really breathtaking. Supple leather, gorgeous hand carved design, caster wheels on the perfect legs... I was drooling, big time.

And last but not least... everyone's favorite category!!!!

CREEPY!

Vintage Diet Poster. Yeah, because I look like a huge-a** Hippo, and thinking about myself as a Giraffe is going to make me want to starve off the weight.

Anne Marie loves Sharks! Yes - the only set of Shark Jaws I spotted - and we needed to get all snuggly, and close and...